- December 16, 2025
The FAA training facility in Palm Coast hasn’t flown from the area just yet.
Thanks to a compromise, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an extension of Federal Aviation Administration programs, clearing the way for negotiators to complete work on a final long-term FAA reauthorization, according to a news release from Washington, D.C.
Included in the reauthorization bill is a provision that would require the FAA to justify moving any facility from an economically distressed area, Palm Coast Economic Planner Beau Falgout said. Palm Coast currently meets the definition of an economically distressed area.
“We’re hoping that the FAA bill can get passed, and it would be another hurdle for them to overcome,” Falgout said.
He said Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has expressed a willingness to invest in improving the current facility, located on Palm Coast Parkway west of the Hammock Dunes Bridge. The lease is set to expire, and the FAA has said it would not consider any location farther than 25 miles from a major airport. Thus, the Palm Coast location was disqualified; Embry-Riddle wasn’t even allowed to submit a bid.
The facility, which trains management, employs more than 100 people. U.S. Rep. John Mica and Sen. Bill Nelson have written letters of support for the facility.
The extension for the bill, which is only until Feb. 17, serves as an oxygen mask in what appeared to be a sure crash landing for Palm Coast. The extension was the 23rd since 2007 in a drawn-out dispute between the FAA and the union.
Even with the extension, there is no guarantee Palm Coast would be approved, but it would give the city a chance at retaining the facility. Kansas City is seen as a frontrunner as a new location.
In the meantime, the bill has national implications.
“Improvements to our nation’s aviation infrastructure, modernization of our air traffic control system, and reform of FAA programs are almost five years overdue,” said U.S. Rep. John Mica, who chairs the committee and represents Florida District 7, including Palm Coast. “A long-term bill will set national aviation policy and have a major impact on jobs.”
The news release states that the transportation proposal, to be introduced in the House prior to next week’s markup, will reform and streamline programs, cut red tape in the project approval process, increase states’ flexibility in determining their most critical transportation needs, and encourage private sector participation in financing and rebuilding infrastructure.
The release continues: This legislation will be the largest transportation reform bill since the interstate highway system was created in 1956. Furthermore, this legislation will contain no earmarks. The previous surface transportation law contained more than 6,300 earmarks.
